Sanford Design overseeing redesign of Florida course

Golf course architect John Sanford’s latest project in Naples, Fla., has nothing in common with his recent work in the South Bronx in New York City, but the design challenges he faced at each site were daunting.

In New York, the obstacle was transforming an unsightly, abandoned, 222-acre municipal dump into the spectacular Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point.

In Naples, Sanford’s ingenuity was tested as he had to redesign and stretch out a tight 105-acre course into a playable but interesting 6,900-yard circuit. And for good measure, he intends to tuck a 300-yard practice range into the facility as well, at the 70-year-old Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club.

Sanford is also bringing a bit of the Ferry Point magic to Naples with him.

At Ferry Point, Sanford served as project manager and collaborator on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course. In Naples, Nicklaus was brought in to work with Sanford, making it a Jack Nicklaus redesign in collaboration with John Sanford.

“We are very excited about the project, working with the Watkins family and again with Jack,” Sanford said. “The course will get a lot of exposure at this prestigious hotel. The Naples area has come so far in the last 20 years, and there is great demand for another premium resort/daily fee course. All the stars are aligned for this project to be a really good one.”

For Nicklaus, the Naples project is a special homecoming of sorts.

“That was the place I first broke 40 for nine holes in 1952,” Nicklaus said. “I was just 11 years old and vacationing with my family in Naples. I played with my father that day, and shot 37 on the front nine with a double bogey.”

Michael Watkins and his brother, Henry B. Watkins III, are third-generation owners of the landmark beach hotel that was developed by their grandfather, Henry B. Watkins, Sr.

“This renovation will bring our golf course in line with the rest of our AAA Four Diamond resort and enhance the overall guest experience,” Watkins III said. “The added bonus of Mr. Nicklaus collaborating on the redesign of the course on which he first broke 40 for nine holes is wonderful and further enriches the deep history of our property."

Sanford said the first logistical hurdle was the small driving range where players were restricted to hitting only irons. Recognizing the hotel’s need for parking, he proposed turning the current three-acre range—located directly across the street from the hotel lobby and valet area—into parking.

“We are shifting the range inside the golf course, and we will move a few holes around, reconfigure some lakes, and redesign the entire golf course,” he said.

Nicklaus visited the site during the design stage and spent a day with Sanford driving around, looking at all the proposed holes, and sharing ideas for the new layout.

“The green complexes are relatively small, and Jack wanted them partially open to running shots, so about 50 to 60 percent of each green is open to allow the ground game,” Sanford said. “We are keeping it simple—not too much contour in the greens and nice, gentle pitches with bunkering that plays into the tee shot strategy. By relocating several lakes, a number of the greens will be lakeside. We have two double-green complexes, the second green and the eighth green share a complex, as does the third and 15th greens.”

Prior to the redesign, the course measured just over 6,400 yards. Incorporating double greens in the design helped in gaining some distance and lengthening the layout to 6,900 yards from the back tees.

“While we were on site and meeting with the Watkins family one of Jack’s staffers contacted the Jack Nicklaus Museum in Ohio and located the original score card from Jack’s memorable round in 1951, What an incredible piece of memorabilia for the family.” Sanford said.

Sanford said the Watkins family’s respect for the area and the environment were factors in his redesign.

“As the site runs from west to east, we will transition from the beach to Everglades in terms of the look and the feel of the landscape,” Sanford said. “Of the 100 acres of turf, we will take 30 to 35 acres out of irrigation, resulting in unirrigated natural areas. We end up with 65 or 70 acres of irrigated turf, which will reduce the watering requirements. All of the infrastructure will be new, including the irrigation and storm water drainage systems.”

Sanford said the course is designed to play hard and fast. Despite reducing the maintained areas by one-third, with five sets of tees the course will be playable and enjoyable for all resort guests. “It’s a great piece of core golf property which you don’t get much of these days, especially in Florida where most sites are broken up by housing lots,” he said.

Since 1946, the Watkins family planted many trees and palms, some of which are exotic species that will be removed, but many mature specimens will be relocated within the new course preserving an important landscape history.

“When you move lakes around, and relocate golf corridors, much of the vegetation must be cleared, but we’ve been careful to maintain the most significant vegetation on the property,” he said.

Sanford said, Ellin Goetz, a prominent local landscape architect, has designed the new treescape, drawing on her knowledge of the history of the property and the original course as her firm reworked the treescape after it was devastated by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Ellin is vice chair of the board of directors of the Everglades Foundation and Jack Nicklaus is also a member of the Everglades Foundation board.

The project will cost between $9 and $10 million, including new maintenance equipment, rebuilding the maintenance facility and creating a new parking lot.

The seven-month golf course renovation, which begins April 11, will complete a $55 is million refurbishing of the hotel, which began a few years ago, including its 319 rooms and suites, meeting space, ballroom, beach bar, and grill. A new beachfront pool complex, including two pools, two whirlpools, and a pool bar with food service, were also added.

Sanford Golf Design is based in Jupiter, Fla. With his associates, the veteran of 30 years in the golf course design industry has completed more than 70 new design and renovation projects around the world in Asia, the Caribbean, Middle East, and throughout the United States.

Build a better fungicide program

Squeezed by a mandate to do as much or more with a lot less, superintendents can utilize this time to evaluate the best protocol for disease management.

Creating a fungicide program for the spring is an individual endeavor. A superintendent must develop a protocol that suits their individual circumstances and there is a myriad of factors to be considered. One of them is cost.

Advance planning is necessary to develop a program that will be effective without adversely impacting the bottom line of the annual turf maintenance budget and perhaps leaving the superintendent without the necessary financial resources to combat an unexpected problem late in the season.

As luxurious as it may sound, Dr. Brandon Horvath, a turf pathologist at the University of Tennessee, suggests that when creating their spring program, superintendents should take a sky-is-the-limit approach.

“I always approach preparing a fungicide program from the perspective of money being no object,” Horvath says. “What would I do if I had no budget and I could do anything I wanted? Put together that plan and then work backwards toward your budget by substituting materials that are less expensive for more expensive ones, by maybe changing an active ingredient from something that’s brand new to something that’s been around for a while and may be a little less expensive, but always with the idea that you’re trying to maintain the best possible control that you can maintain. Then it’s a matter of not only being confident in that plan, but also being aware that you may need to make some adjustments.”

Superintendents are justifiably proud of their record as environmental stewards but concerns about environmental issues have increased in recent years. Today’s superintendent is expected to use less product to achieve the same results with regard to visual appeal and playability.

And while environmental concerns are much more important than in the past, Dr. Alex Ellram, a professor of animal and plant sciences at SUNY Cobleskill, says in most cases there are limits to the amount and frequency of a fungicide a superintendent can apply to an area.

“For example, chlorothalonil could be used continuously in the past, but now has restrictions on how much can applied each year,” Ellram says. “Also, a much greater knowledge base of BMPs [best management practices] to manage diseases with less fungicide is available today. This may allow superintendents to reduce their use of disease management chemicals.”

Resistance is another issue golf course superintendents contend with. “It’s important to know what to look for when resistance develops and how to minimize the potential for resistance to develop,” Ellram says, adding that some products are more prone to resistance issues than others.

“Pesticides that attack a pest in more than one way, like multi-site fungicides – such as chlorothalonil – have very low risk of developing resistance problems,” he says.a “On the other hand, fungicides that have one specific way to attack a pest – for example, propiconazole – have a fairly high potential of losing their ability to control fungal diseases through overuse.”

As every superintendent knows, it’s important to rotate products for maximum effectiveness. But Ellram points out that it’s important to alternate products that work in different ways.

“Simply changing chemicals does not mean you are rotating modes of action,” he says. “For example, the fungicide propiconazole and the fungicide triadimefon both have nearly the same mode of action.So, switching between these fungicides is not a proper rotation to delay resistance.”

There is more to a fungicide program than the product itself. Dr. Jim Kerns at North Carolina State University urges superintendents to “Do a little self-reflection,” when developing a fungicide program.

“Am I providing the things a plant needs to be healthy?” he says. “Is the plant receiving enough light, air, food and water? Changing cultural practices such as topdressing, fertility and watering practices can be very important for managing diseases. So, when developing a fungicide program, be sure to evaluate the cultural management as well. Remember the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.”

Kerns says product representatives can be a big help to superintendents who are putting together a fungicide program. “I think produce reps can be very effective,” he says, “especially those that sell everything. They typically are locals and are familiar with the environment and diseases that typically develop. Moreover, at least the ones I deal with consult extension faculty regularly. Reps for the major chemical manufacturers are also helpful as they have very broad experiences and have access to technical product managers. Most of the technical product managers were turfgrass scientists at one time and have excellent experience.”

Kerns notes that superintendents should not hesitate to question their product reps about a particular product. “Ask questions about why this product?” he says, or ‘What do you think of this? Keep in mind the diseases you the superintendent face and develop the program for those diseases. Don’t spray a product because your neighbor is or a big-name club saw this response.”

In the end, of course, the superintendent is responsible for what happens to his golf course and the chemicals he is applying to it. It behooves him to become as knowledgeable as possible about the effects of those products.

“I think that knowledge is power,” Ellram says. “It’s not rocket science to put together a good fungicide program. My students at SUNY Cobleskill are required to prepare fungicide programs as part of their coursework. Learn the basics and put together your own program as a starting point even if you will be working with a rep.”

Porous Pave refines appearance, texture of permeable paving material

In response to customer preferences, Porous Pave has changed the standard size range of the recycled rubber chips in its surfacing material from 1/4-3/8 inch to 1/8-1/4 inch. The smaller, fine-cut rubber chips provide a more refined, smoother paved surface. An eco-friendly green building material made in the U.S.A., Porous Pave is a highly porous, durable and flexible pour-in-place permeable paving product. The XL formulation consists of 50 percent rubber chips and 50 percent stone aggregate with a moisture-cured, liquid binder. The XLS formulation is made with 100 percent rubber chips.

“We saw the need for a smoother finish based on comments and suggestions from landscape architects, hardscape contractors, homeowners, and facility managers,” Porous Pave President Dave Ouwinga said. “We have worked with rubber-aggregate permeable surfacing for more than a decade. When our testing verified that smaller, 1/8-1/4 inch rubber chips would not compromise our high standards for porosity and permeability, we adopted the fine-cut chip as our new standard.”

Discarded tires, saved from landfills and recycled, are shredded and processed into rubber chips for Porous Pave. With 27 percent porosity, Porous Pave made with the fine-cut chips retains 93 percent of the porosity and permeability of the product made with the traditional larger size. Porous Pave and its distributors will continue to supply the bigger chips for extensions of existing installations as well as for new projects, with a minimum size of 5,000 square-feet, where a slightly coarser, higher traction finish with 29 percent porosity is preferred.

Porous Pave XL, the formulation with the 50-50 rubber chip and aggregate mix, is a heavy-duty material poured in place at thicknesses of 1 to 2 inches over a compacted aggregate base of 2, 4 or 6 inches, depending on the application and required compressive strength. It retains stormwater on site by allowing rain and run off to drain directly through its entire pervious surface, filter down into the aggregate base, and then slowly seep into the soil below. XL is used for loading docks, parking lots and driveways, building entrances and courtyards, patios, footpaths and walkways, golf cart paths, and tree surrounds that require a strong, durable, slip-resistant and permeable surface.

With 100 percent recycled rubber chip content, Porous Pave XLS permeable surfaces are more impact absorbing. XLS is a good option for pool surrounds as well as school and public park playgrounds. Its light weight makes it ideal for rooftop applications, such as patios and pavement borders on green roofs.

Greenleaf Technologies introduces new closed transfer system

Greenleaf Technologies has announced the launch of its new easyFlow closed transfer system for the North American market. Designed to meet strict European environmental standards, the new easyFlow system meets or exceeds all current guidelines for Tier 1 and Tier 2 agricultural closed transfer systems established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Department of Pesticide Regulation.

“The easyFlow system is the first closed, contamination-proof and self-cleaning transfer system for liquid crop protection products from sealed or non-sealed plant protection product containers, enabling the user to do partial or complete dosing,” Greenleaf Technologies owner Will Smart said. “Not only is safety improved with easyFlow, but PPP container cleaning can be performed as soon as the chemical is transferred, thus improving the efficiency of the entire process.”

In comparison to previous systems, easyFlow combines the following advantages into one compact system:
-- A no-spill connection with the highest standards of user and environmental safety
-- Built-in backflow prevention to prevent fresh water contamination
-- Continuously adjustable flow rates, allowing for precise transfer of partial container volumes
-- Rinsing of accessible parts connected to the PPP after partial dosing
-- Fast and complete rinsing of empty PPP containers
-- No more contamination and cleaning of measuring jugs
-- Easy installation on all sprayer tanks and on most chemical inductors

“The easyFlow system is a giant leap forward in the handling and mixing of liquid plant protection products,” Smart said. “It’s a proven system designed to make PPP application faster, safer and easier, and we’re proud that Greenleaf Technologies can offer it to the North American market.”

Toro recognizes World Water Day efforts

In recognition of the company’s commitment to driving water sustainability, Toro was invited to the nation’s capital March 22, which is World Water Day, to participate in the White House Water Summit.

“It is gratifying whenever our highly efficient water-saving irrigation innovations are recognized, and it is certainly an honor to have been invited to attend the White House Water Summit to help bring attention to important water sustainability issues and ongoing efforts to protect this vital resource,” Toro CEO Michael Hoffman said. “At Toro, we take pride in our contributions to the development of products that have proven to help our turf, landscape and agricultural customers apply water more efficiently, thus reducing consumption and conserving this precious resource. It’s through our leading innovations and varied partnerships that we can help make a difference through education and by providing practical solutions.”

Protecting water resources for future generations and ensuring availability for people around the world requires partnership, innovation and education from many stakeholder groups. Having started in the irrigation business in 1923, Toro has maintained its commitment to developing innovative irrigation solutions to help care for golf courses, sports fields, public green spaces, agricultural fields, and commercial and residential properties.

The following are some of the ways in the golf industry Toro is helping future efforts in water conservation and efficiency:

-- Toro's PrecisionSense site assessment technology received the 2013 Tekne Award in agricultural technology by the Minnesota High Tech Association, along with Best New Product in the golf category in 2011 by the Irrigation Association. The patented system measures the variability of key site attributes – including soil moisture, salinity, compaction and plant performance – to help customers improve water and resource efficiency, and produce healthy turf.
-- A longtime partner of the Environmental Institute for Golf, the philanthropic arm of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, Toro has donated more than $1.8 million to help support scientific turfgrass research and education.
--Toro’s Turf Guard wireless soil monitoring system measures soil moisture, temperature and salinity to help golf and grounds customers make informed decisions on when and how much to water.
-- Toro’s newest sprinkler heads have vastly improved nozzle performance to maximize distribution uniformity that reduces the need to apply excess water.